My Garden Blog: A website to document the challenge of growing a variety of perennials in a northern Canadian climate. I post plenty of pictures of my gardening projects and welcome comments. La Ronge, Saskatchewan is in Zone 1b (USDA zone 2a), sitting on the Canadian shield at 55° 06' N latitude, 105° 16' W longitude.

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Monday, August 13, 2007

Woodpecker and Vines

It's gently sprinkling outside and I've been searching the net for fall specials from mail order companies. Also, my Carmine Jewel tart cherries have a problem with pear slugs (sawfly larvae) again and I've been looking up creative ways to kill them. I'll try some insecticidal soap first, once it's done raining.

Woodpecker on column feeder

While I was at the computer, I heard a loud bird call and knocking on the outside wall (covered in cedar siding). I ran outside and saw the woodpecker move from wall to wall and then to the column birdfeeder. We've had this birdfeeder for nearly three years and this is probably the third bird I've seen land on it. Birds really dislike it. We've tried moving it around the yard, supposing that location was a problem. We have had no luck with it. I wonder if the birds don't like the cold metal perches? Who knows.

Morning glory "Star of Yelta"

Here are my morning glories, climbing up a deck support column. I started them indoors about a month before planting out, to ensure I got blooms to enjoy for the summer. I started them in peat pots, which works well for plants that are usually direct-seeded into the ground.

Last summer I grew Thunbergia alata(Black-eyed susan vine) up an obelisk and Asarina scandens (Twining snapdragon) up a bamboo trellis, but these took a long time to flower, despite being started indoors. Also in the vine category, I haven't noticed any blooms on my pole beans yet. That would have been a good thing to start indoors!

3 comments:

Good job on the Morning Glory. I bought a number of seeds from a lady in Pennsylvania and really they have not done well. The Red Ensign was eaten by flea beetles, others have been slow or totally non productive. The old Grandpa Ott a friend gave me has been the best. Other vines which are doing well is my collection of Clematis and also the squash, pumpkin and cucs.

What colour are the morning glory flowers going to be?They are notoriously slow starters before they explode in growth.If you covered the metal bits of the birdfeeder maybe they would come? My peatpots kept drying out on my windowsill and the plants were not great in them.How do you water them?